“We learned our stock in trade at a publisher renowned for quality, and we intend to carry on that tradition in bold and creative ways,” Labonte said.

Figure 1 is operating under a different business model than a traditional publisher. Authors or organizations will pay the costs of production themselves and Figure 1 Publishing will look after editing, design, distribution, sales and marketing of the books they publish. Sales revenues will go to both Figure 1 and the author or organization, Nadeau said, adding the model is a hybrid between trade publishing and vanity publishing.

“Publishing can be a very risky business,” Nadeau said. “With things changing so much in the book business, all publishers are looking at different ways to try new things. We’re going to experiment and I think we’re going to be fairly nimble and be able to try different things without losing our shirts.”

Margaret Reynolds, executive director of the Association of Book Publishers of B.C., said she will be watching the new company with great interest.

“It’s a very different shift than the traditional publishing services model because of the quality of what they’re doing,” Reynolds said. “It’s really interesting because of who they are and the expertise they bring to this endeavour.”

She said many trade publishers provide these types of services for a fee, but that those fees would only form a small percentage of their total revenue.

Nadeau named San Francisco’s Chronicle Books and the Italian company Rizzoli, which also operates in New York, as publishers working with a similar business model. He believes Figure 1 will be the first Canadian company to focus solely on this model.

“We would like to do a bit of trade publishing in the future, but we are also going to work on some other models,” Nadeau said. “I think there’s a lot of possibilities out there and a lot of different things to try. I think this is a good start because the risk is not all that high for us.

“We’re going to focus on some niches we know work and we’re confident we can make a go of it.”

Figure 1 Publishing has five books slated for the fall 2013 season, and has joined Raincoast Books for national distribution, sales and marketing, Nadeau said. The company will focus on art and architecture, food and wine, lifestyle, illustrated history and business books.

The planned releases for this fall include a Burgoo Restaurant cookbook and a Squamish First Nation book about how the traditional Squamish territory was saved from logging, by Chief Bill Williams, Katherine Dodds, and photographer Nancy Bleck, Nadeau said.

The company does not yet have an office, but one is in the works, along with hiring some staff members, Nadeau said.

“We’re very excited; this is the kind of thing we were really passionate about at D&M. We’re enthusiastic about the art books, the illustrated books and the cooking program is something we really wanted to see continue,” Nadeau said. “I’m not terribly concerned about (these books) not working in the marketplace. It's a kind of underserved niche in Canadian publishing.”

Reynolds said becoming partners with Raincoast Books for distribution is a good start.

“It’s a nice fit in terms of getting the books into the traditional marketplace. They’re covering the bases and I think they’re going to do a really good job for their clients,” Reynolds said.

One key difference, among many, between Figure 1 and vanity publishing is that the company will discriminate as far as which books they will publish.

“It is curated. There will definitely be picking and choosing to what we feel fits our mandate and interest,” Nadeau said. “We want to make sure the quality is very high and that most of the books, if not all of them, will stand on their own as books to work in the book market.”

The new company is the fourth to spring from D&M; New Society Publishing, which was always a separate company, is again operating independently, while Heritage House Publishing bought Greystone Books and Howard and Mary White, the owners of Harbour Publishing, bought Douglas & McIntyre.

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Share

Former D&M managers get bookish with hybrid business model for new company Figure 1 Publishing

A Radio-Canada reporter has been arrested for alleged criminal harassment while pursuing the subject of a story. According to Radio-Canada, reporter Antoine Trépanier was arrested Tuesday night by Gatineau police. He was released on a promise to appear in court. Trépanier was called by Gatineau police Tuesday evening and an officer requested that he come […]

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.